The Mom Stop: ‘Star Wars’ princess lives on

We were halfway to my mother’s house on Christmas Eve, surrounded by woods on rural Alabama Highway 13 when I heard my 5-year-old son’s voice from the backseat of our van.

“Mommy, I’m going to move to Australia,” he said confidently.

It took me by surprise, because I didn’t know if he even knew where Australia is.

“Why do you say that,” I asked him.

“Because I want to see Steve (Irwin),” he replied. “We’re going to be friends and catch crocodiles.”

My kids love watching reruns of “The Crocodile Hunter” on TV in the morning before school. They love watching Irwin tackle crocodiles and capture snakes, learning about exotic animals in the process.

I was thinking about how to reply to my son when his 7-year-old sister interjected.

“Um, I’ve got bad news for you,” she told him. “Steven Irwin died before we were even born.”

The tears ensued, the real, heartbreaking tears that streamed down my kindergartner’s cheeks as he found out his television idol has been dead for years.

I tried to focus on the positive, the fact that we were celebrating Christmas, that Santa Claus was coming, but I could do little to divert my son’s questions of “why” and “how.” Those questions about death are never easy to answer, no matter the situation. I worry now that watching his beloved Crocodile Hunter will never be the same. At least he’s still got his love, “Star Wars” …

But then Carrie Fisher died Dec. 27. When the news broke, I knew we couldn’t tell our kids that Princess Leia had died. Our kids have seen every “Star Wars” movie and relish the universe that the movies provide. When they aren’t building “Star Wars” Lego spaceships, they’re often playing with their toy light sabers. Even for Halloween this year, our son was a storm trooper, our 7-year-old daughter was the heroine Rey and our 1-year-old daughter dressed as Princess Leia.

I did not grow up as a “Star Wars” fan. But my children, especially my son, loves it. More often than not, he falls asleep with his toy storm trooper or a bed full of miniature die-cast “Star Wars” spaceships. His favorite tennis shoes light-up and have Darth Vader on them. His lunchbox is BB8 and his alarm clock is a storm trooper.

No, I cannot tell my kids what was happened to Carrie Fisher. Death is hard to understand for adults, but even more so for children.

The year 2016 has not been easy for many people, for a lot of reasons. Whether it’s politics or celebrities, 2016 has been a reminder that the unexpected can and does happen. It’s meant the loss of Fisher, David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman and Alan Thicke. It’s been a reminder that we are all human and that life is fleeting.

But it can also be a reminder to look for the good in life, and to appreciate the positive. As I write this, my husband is out in the front yard with my two oldest kids, flying their new “Star Wars” drone that they received for Christmas. I’m sure later my kids will go to our neighborhood park with their light sabers, battling their neighborhood friends in “Star Wars” make-believe, as they do a few times a week. My 7-year-old daughter will inevitably pretend to be Leia in their game, as the only girl who seemingly loves “Star Wars” as much as the boys.

And, I’ll quietly mourn Carrie Fisher. Yes, she lived a life much bigger outside of the “Star Wars” franchise. But in that role, she helped create a world that my kids now love.For my kids, and many others, as Princess Leia, Fisher will never die. And for that, I am thankful.

— Lydia Seabol Avant writes The Mom Stop for The Tuscaloosa News. Reach her at lydia.seabolavant@tuscaloosanews.com.